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A Ranch-style Bed and BreakfastWith a Texas-sized Bed big enough for FourBy Madelyn Miller
Not only did I enjoy a huge house, beautifully decorated with a Texas theme, but there were all kinds of extra amenities usually only found in five star hotels.
You don’t need a rich relative to stay at Bear Creek Retreat. In fact, it is large enough that if you shared it with friends, it would cost no more than an ordinary hotel room. But you would have an extraordinary experience.
I drove down from Dallas, and asked my screenwriter friend Greg to join me. We walked in and he was blown away by the luxury. “How in the world did you arrange this,” he asked. The truth is, I heard about owner Caroline Foley’s new place from an old friend, Kathy Truesdell. Kathy was definitely elevated on the smart friends list for finding this place.
It's wonderfully relaxing. Caroline is a great cook, there is a pool, she has a massage room that she can book with local massage therapists and there is a Large Flat Screen plasma Television in the common room for things like Sports (guys) or Event Parties.”
Greg woke up early and was sitting outside listening to the birds when Caroline brought over warm homemade carrot muffins right out of the oven. Greg decided not to wake me up, so they had cooled before I got to them, but were still wonderful when washed down with the tangerine citrus juice I found in the fridge. RAIDING THE REFRIGERATORSome people analyze medicine chests. But I think you can tell a lot about a place by what is in the refrigerator. And Bear Creek Retreat passed this test with top marks. It didn’t just have juice and water and Coke. It had imported beer, good wines, bottles of IBC root beer and calorie-free fruit flavored sodas. For carbohydrate counters, there was Doc’s Hard Lemon, a citrusy alcoholic drink I became addicted to while staying there. The freezer held individual size (well, 16 oz. is a Texas-size individual serving) tubs of Haagen Daas coffee and vanilla flavored ice cream. And thick homemade fudge with heating instructions was standing nearby for a perfect topping. There weren’t just chocolate kisses around in bowls. There was Ghiradelli Chocolates in four different flavors in a red silk box. And refills stocked in the kitchen cabinet. This was junque food with flair and style. TEXAS STYLEThere are fresh flowers everywhere, probably a reflection on the fact that Caroline’s other career is as a landscape designer/contractor. She knows how to do things with style, including monogrammed hand towels, cozy shawls draped over couches, Texas-star tiebacks for the curtains. You could call Caroline a Texas-style Martha Steward. But then I have no reason to think Caroline has ever done anything illegal. I only wish Caroline could come to my loft and raise her magic wand or green thumb and make my place as cozy and comfortable at Bear Creek Retreat. BEDTIME STORY
Kids will also love the playroom under the stairs, and they are encouraged to write on the walls and leave their hand or foot print. Who doesn’t love a secret hiding place. The kids can hide in the playroom. And a celebrity or rock star could easily make Bear Creek Retreat their personal hiding place, using the two upstairs bedrooms for their entourage. I can think of a zillion other good reasons to stay there—perhaps for a honeymoon or anniversary celebration or family reunion. I am counting the reasons why I want to go back as I write this. I did not yet tell you about the pond, because I never got that far. But the friends I invited down, raved about it. And plans call for individual TeePee tents to be built soon. Imagine a birthday party, or a Cub Scout retreat, or an Indian Princess meeting. Or even a corporate getaway. The possibilities are endless as is the view of the surrounding property. WHERE IS THIS PLACE?When I emailed Caroline for directions and asked where to get the key, she replied, “The doors to the home are unlocked. We do not lock doors around here. In fact, we're not even sure we could locate a key. The home does have dead bolts on all the doors if you choose to use them while you are inside.” Because one of the wonderful things about this place is how remotely rustic it seems while only being 10 minutes from I-35, I will let Caroline give you directions when you book. You probably won’t ever want to leave the property. But if you do, here are some things I like to do in Austin GREAT GUIDEBOOKSWildly Austin: Austin's Landmark Art Here are a few of the stories you'll find in Wildly Austin: Austin's Landmark Art: *King-Kong attacks Dreyfus Antiques' Eiffel Tower *Restaurant County Line on the Hill's two-headed longhorn runs amuck *The oldest bug in Austin: the Terminix Bug * The Longhorn on 15th Street FAVORITE AUSTIN RESTAURANTSRanch 616 Roaring Fork Moonshine on River Monica’s 701, 701 Main Street, Georgetown. Only 20 minutes North of Austin and worth the drive. Be sure to get the Monica Salad and the white chocolate bread pudding |
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TM
I am a city girl. I like my creature comforts such as
thick towels, chocolates, and fluffy pillows. So when I agreed to stay at
an Austin retreat in the middle of nowhere (anywhere more than ten minutes
from downtown is nowhere to me) I expected to be roughing it.
Instead, it was the some of the most luxurious nights
of my whole life.
I felt like some rich relative I had never met had died
and left me his own personal getaway place for four glorious days.
Here is what she told me about it that convinced me to
try it. “I think you would like a new retreat/B&B called Bear Creek
Retreat. It's 3 bedroom house on 130 acres with wonderful facilities and
the biggest bed I have ever seen. Caroline Foley, the owner, had it custom
made. It's the size of two queen beds but it's one solid mattress with big
pillows and custom sheets and comforter. Truly a family bed
(or whatever...). Caroline's number is 512-940-9444
Greg and I enjoyed the hot tub the first night,
admiring the stars and congratulating ourselves for being lucky enough to
stay at such a cool place. We wrapped ourselves in the thick terry robes
thoughtfully provided and monogrammed with Bear Creek Retreat. Then we went
inside and he nibbled on multi-colored French licorice (in the crystal bowls
scattered around graciously) while I enjoyed chocolates as we watched UNDER
THE TUSCAN SUN on the plasma TV. We hated to go to bed. But since I had
dibs on the big bed, I made an earlier exit to snuggle in.
The interesting thing about this fabulous place is it
is equally good for families or an orgy, depending on what four people you
want to share the bed with.